The Pact (2012) (Movie Review)
Director: Nicholas McCarthy
Following her mother’s death, Annie (Caity Lotz, Mad Men) reluctantly returns to her childhood home, only to find that her estranged sister has disappeared overnight and a sinister presence is in the house haunting the halls and her dreams. With a detective and a clairvoyant helping her investigate the physical and paranormal clues, Annie starts to suspect that something terrible has happened in the house. What she discovers may lead her on a dangerous journey into her mother’s unknown and disturbing past.
The Pact is a movie that does a few things without rhyme or reason, yet somehow remains entertaining and suspenseful until its very end. Our lead seems a little forced in playing the tough female role, but if we look away from that part of it she does make a good lead overall. The film gives us a story that seems to be leading all one way before tossing us a bit of a welcomed curve near the last portion of the film. While the turn in the direction does give us a few unanswered questions due to some missing logic it does make things so that we can’t predict where it is leading and how it will all end. So while it isn’t perfect the good does topple the bad.
While light on blood for the most part things do stay scary and spooky, which is a good trade off if you have to do without blood. We have a child actor that does her part well and isn’t at all a distraction or annoyance. We also have small part players in the overall story that come and go and fit into their roles without hurt anything all the while moving things along well. If you want scary movies that will make you jump from time to time in the none-overly Hollywood theatrical way you could do a lot worse than The Pact. I found a lot of it to be overall refreshing.
(7.5/10)
